Norwich City 3-5 Liverpool Feds
Sunday 8th November 2026 14:00
FA Women’s National League
Carrow Road
Manager Leanne Duffy made one change to her starting XI following a well-fought 1-1 draw at home to Huddersfield. Erin Caldecott came into the team replacing Georgia Walters who dropped to the bench, despite scoring last time out.
An eight-goal thriller saw the Feds find a third consecutive away win thanks to a stunning hat-trick from Jess Brady, as well as further goals from substitutes Walters and Coulthard.
The Feds started the game superbly, taking just four minutes to find the back of the net through in-form Brady. Jones received the ball on the half-turn and quickly played a precise pass through the Norwich defence finding Brady, who made no mistake in slotting the ball past Irvine in goal.
Although the Feds continued to put pressure on their opponents, the hosts responded just before the half an hour mark. Kennard controlled the ball just past the half way line and rushed towards goal with purpose. Her pace allowed her to beat multiple Feds defenders before being fouled by Carrington inside the penalty area. As a result, Riglar’s composed finish from the spot pulled the hosts level.
However, the goals kept on coming. Just moments after the equaliser, the Feds were back up the other end. Caldecott played it into the feet of Brady, who took just one touch before shooting from range and finding the bottom left corner in what was a stunning goal. The attacking mentality from both teams in this clash made it an entertaining watch as Ellie Jones was soon denied a third for the Feds as her attempt from the edge of the box stung the palms of Irvine.
Frustratingly for the Feds, they could not hold on to a lead in the first half. Just 6 minutes after Brady’s second goal the hosts restored parity following a cross from the Norwich right wing. The dangerous low-driven cross into the box caused a mix-up between McAloon and Carrington following pressure from a Norwich City attacker, resulting in McAloon unknowingly deflecting the ball into the path of Riglar, leaving her an empty net and practically gifting her another goal.
Just moments after the second half was underway, the tempo was set for the rest of the match. A late tackle from Wilson saw her name taken by the referee and a yellow card was shown.
The Feds looked the most likely to find the next goal in this game. A fast counter attack looked promising for Butcher as she was in a one-on-one scenario with Williams, but a crucial sliding challenge from the Norwich number 6 removed all danger.
The game continued to be an end-to-end encounter with Brady going close just moments after McAloon made a great stop to deny Elliana Martin from putting the hosts ahead.
It was clear that more goals were going to be scored in this tie and that was exactly what happened in the 66th minute. Jess Brady received the ball inside her own half and played a clever, lofted pass across the field to Jones. Ellie Jones then finished off a brilliant one-two as she perfectly picked out Brady’s darting run into the Norwich penalty area after she was left unmarked. The left-footed assist from Jones was certainly the talking point of this superbly worked goal for the Feds as Brady was set free with just the goalkeeper to beat, in which she made no mistake in completing her hat-trick.
Less than 10 minutes after the third, super-sub Walters gave the Feds much needed daylight in the game as she added a fourth. Walters capitalised on a defensive error from the hosts and immediately noticed Irvine off her line. With just her second touch she perfectly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper, extending the visitors’ lead to two.
Eventually, with around 10 minutes to go, another substitute made a big impact for the Feds. Brady played a quick one-two with Walters, cutting Norwich apart, before finding substitute Coulthard in an abundance of space on the left flank. Brady’s pass was perfect and so was the cool finish from Faye Coulthard. Game set and match.
A late consolation goal from Symonds was not enough for the hosts to mount a comeback as the Feds dug deep to see out the 5-3 away win following another impressive performance on the road.
Liverpool Feds face Stoke City on Sunday in the FA Cup second round, looking to make it four away wins on the bounce.
Words: Louie Sparks
Photo: Laura Gates
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
A fantastic afternoon for Jess Brady, who was at the heart of the Feds’ attacking performance at Carrow Road. Her three goals were the highlight, but she also played a key role in creating further opportunities for her teammates. Jess is sponsored by Intensity Sports Performance.
Next up:
AWAY
Sunday 15th November, 2pm
Stoke City v Liverpool Feds
FA Cup – second round proper
Omexom Stadium at Wellbeing Park
Tickets available at the gate